Why Athletics' Tommy White Could Draw Serious Trade Interest
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The Athletics are gearing up for trade season, but they are not going to be clear buyers or sellers because they want to contend soon without tearing down their roster. They are currently in fourth place in the AL West.
Aaron Civale was the first move for the A's this summer, as they shipped the veteran starter to the Chicago Cubs for a minor league arm. The move allowed Jacob Lopez to slot back in the rotation.
Because the A's have been so desperate for pitching, it has been very nice to see Lopez start to contribute the way we saw him do so last season. Looks like getting optioned earlier this season allowed him to reset and work on his stuff.
We have discussed the possibility of the A's swinging an intra-division trade to land Emerson Hancock from the Mariners. In that discussion, we mentioned that Tommy White could be involved to bolster Seattle's lineup. However, White might be an attractive piece for many teams before Monday's deadline.
Tommy White's Hot Start to His Career
Since Tommy White has joined the big league team, he's shown that he can be an excellent hitter, as well as the fact that he can be a solid defender at third base.
White gained a lot of traction during his college days as "Tommy Tanks", thanks to his incredible power tool, which brought him to being an early second-round pick by the A's in 2024. Scouts thought his pop was very good, but worried about his hit tool and defense.
#Athletics #7 prospect Tommy White (2024 2nd rd pk #MLBDraft) has a 4 for 4 night. Batting .359 over his 10 game call up so far pic.twitter.com/nWxQBLSNo5
— Prospect Metrics (@ProspectMetrics) July 29, 2026
Since he's been called up, he's proved the scouts wrong in both fields. Heading into Wednesday's contest, he has yet to hit his first Major League homer, but he has multiple multi-hit efforts, including a 4-for-4 day against Boston earlier in the series.
White has a bunch of team control left since he was just called up, has a super high ceiling, and has already proven he can hit big league pitching.
Tommy White Should Draw Trade Interest
It's crazy to immediately assume that White will be trade bait following his impressive start. Because the A's need pitching so badly, the team could opt to trade him with his value up and potentially land some young arms.
The biggest issue with White's future is where he slots in the lineup. With Kurtz locking down first base, the only other position he can play is third. The A's have Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, who almost certainly deserves the spot, as well as Zack Gelof, who is injured.
TANKS FIRST MLB 4 HIT GAME!!
— Brian Holland (@BHollandSports) July 21, 2026
Tommy White, the former LSU Tiger, notched FOUR hits in just his third MLB game of his career last night
White now carries a .455 Batting Avg
Former LSU Infielder helped lead the A's to a 5-2 win on the road#LSU #MLB #Athletics #Sacramento pic.twitter.com/XOOAyavM4M
It's going to be difficult to manage the infield when top prospect Leo De Vries also makes his debut. Even without De Vries, it's hard to find a spot for White.
Before Monday's deadline, expect teams to ask about White in potential trades where the A's look to add some young arms.
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Dylan Quinn grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about his favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but he loves the team and all of the current and former players so much. Quinn currently attends school at Penn State Scranton where he plays baseball.
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